Press Release: City Planning Launches First Interactive Map With Population, Housing and Employment Statistics - DCP

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For Immediate Release
May 22, 2018

Contacts:
Rachaele Raynoff, Joe Marvilli – press@planning.nyc.gov (212) 720-3471

City Planning Launches First Interactive Map With Population, Housing and Employment Statistics and Trends Across the Tri-state Area

Covering 31 counties, ‘NYC Metro Region Explorer’ Is A New Tool and A Central Part of NYC’s Commitment to Transparency and Regional Thinking In Our Planning Efforts

May 22, 2018 - The Department of City Planning (DCP) today launched its New York City Metro Region Explorer, an online tool that uses interactive maps to detail population, housing and employment trends across the tri-state metropolitan region. The application presents key insights about how the region has changed from 2000 to today.

This unique resource will help New Yorkers understand the City’s relationships, including interdependencies, to areas outside our borders. It enables the public, planners and policy makers to examine the regional context for shared planning challenges. It is the only mapping resource that combines municipal population, housing and economic data across our region.

This first launch will be updated and expanded over time as part of the City’s ongoing commitment to regional thinking in our planning efforts.

“This user friendly, interactive map is a game changer. For the first time, it allows us to see employment, housing and population trends across the tri-state in one place. It helps New York City and our municipal neighbors work and plan for our region together. It helps employers, employees and millions of families plan for their futures and better understand their communities and our linked, rapidly evolving economies. We encourage everyone to try NYC Metro Region Explorer. Let us know what you think!” Marisa Lago, DCP Director, said.

Using publicly available Federal Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics data, NYC Metro Region Explorer focuses on current data and recent growth trends in the post-2000 and post-recession periods across the 31-county tri-state geography. That includes New York City, nearby portions of New York State, northern New Jersey and southwest Connecticut. Information can be viewed for nearly 900 municipalities and seven larger sub regions.

“We are excited that New York City has developed this new tool. It is extremely important when planning for our individual municipalities that we look at the entire region. Key issues such as housing and affordable housing specifically, transportation, and economic development have impacts beyond our borders. We look forward to a continued close relationship to make and advocate for planning decisions that are good for the entire region,” Annisia Cialone, Director of the Division of City Planning for Jersey City, said.

“While we are focused on the future of New Haven, it is helpful to see how other similar cities are making decisions, New York City is helping us link what we are experiencing to what’s happening in our region more broadly and also benchmarking our efforts at gaining jobs and people. We thank New York City for taking these steps to help other cities think and act more regionally,” said Matthew Nemerson, Economic Development Administrator for New Haven.

“This new mapping tool highlights the importance of thinking and acting as a region if we are to solve the housing, economic, environmental and transportation challenges faced by every community in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area,” said Chris Jones, chief planner for Regional Plan Association. “Most importantly, it demonstrates New York City’s commitment to working cooperatively with its neighbors to address these shared challenges.”

“Accessing and leveraging data and analytics is essential to the long-term, smart growth of our city, state and region,” Steven Rubenstein, Chairman of the Association for a Better New York, said. “With New York’s population anticipated to increase to over 9 million by the year 2040, our policy solutions, plans for growth, and economic development goals must be seen in the context of our region, and informed as much as possible by the best data available. We welcome the NYC Metro Region Explorer as a great and important step along this path.”

Through NYC Metro Region Explorer, the public and planners alike can explore in-depth information and discover overarching themes, such as:

How our regional population and labor force are shifting towards the center of the region, reversing decades of outward suburbanized growth;

The role of diversity and foreign-born residents in supporting dynamic population growth and a growing workforce across the region;

The changing picture of housing production, with the majority of new housing occurring in New York City and New Jersey;

The recentralization of employment, especially office employment, within New York City;

The online tool offers a guided presentation that walks through key regional trends. Visitors can also opt to explore data resources on their own. The tool provides downloadable datasets in a variety of mappable formats. To enable visitors to orient and explore within the region, rail lines and aerial photography can be displayed.

To make sure that NYC Metro Region Explorer includes the latest data available, the tool will be updated periodically when new federal data is released. The tool works with mobile devices.

Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.